I Caught fire
by almondJJ
Summary: A Finn/Rachel story, focusing on a tragedy that Finn and his family have to go through.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi! Okay this is going to be a multi-chapter fic focusing on Finn and Rachel. I don't wanna give anything away though, so read and enjoy!**

**Also a big thanks to Margaret who helped me, and listened to me when I had no idea how to write this!**

**Disclaimer-I don't own the characters, just the storyline!**

Chapter 1: **  
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"I simply do not understand why you boys _insist_ on wrestling each other," Rachel says to him sternly. She wipes up the remainder of blood that had dripped down his leg and presses the cold wet rag against the large cut on his knee.

Finn's face scrunches in pain his face; damn this cut is really starting to sting. Yup. It definitely feels like his knee caught fire.

"It's fun," he answers her, watching as she turns the rag over to press the clean side down onto his skin.

She's so good at this. At taking care of him.

Rachel meets his gaze, and he smiles at her. She'll lecture him, and he'll listen. Because he loves to listen to her, even if she talks for twenty straight minutes about how Puck and him should stop wrestling.

"Fun?" she asks, not really seeking an answer, "Is it fun right now, after you've been thrown into Puck's computer desk, and you come to my house harboring a gaping wound? What if you come here next time with a broken arm or something? Will it still be funny then?"

Finn's smile just grows wider.

He continues watching her as she throws the rag into the hamper, unwraps a bandage, and gently places it on his knee. "There you go," she stands up and smiles proudly.

She's so cute.

"Thanks babe, good as new," he says teasingly, standing up and grabbing her hands.

Rachel rolls her eyes at him, failing to hide back a smile. "It's hardly good as new, Finn. You have to change the band-aid at least once a day, and actually you can have this Neosporin. It's probably a good idea to put some of that on every few hours so you don't scar. Oh and.." she pauses and looks down. Finn gently rubs his fingers up and down her arms a few times. She raises her eyes back up to his, biting her lip slightly, "No more wrestling?" she asks hopefully.

Finn laughs and pulls her in for a full hug, one hand fully around her waist, and the other holding her head to his chest. "I'll be more careful," he murmurs into her hair, and takes a deep breath when he catches the scent of her shampoo.

"I just like to see you in one piece," Rachel tells him shrugging her shoulders slightly.

He responds by placing a lingering kiss on her lips, and she automatically wraps her arms around his neck.

God, he loves her so much. He loves her gasp as she opened the her front door and saw him bleeding, and the way she immediately brings him into the bathroom to take care of it. He loves the way she put all her focus onto his injury. He loves her appreciation for cleanliness and how she demands he change his bandage every day. He loves the adorable way she looked down as she asked him to stop wrestling. He loves the feeling he gets through his whole body when they kiss. She's crazy, and hilarious, and beautiful, and amazing, and he just loves her.

They walk back downstairs hand in hand, and he says his goodbyes to the Mr. Berry's. Rachel walks him to his car, and he promises to text her when he gets home, knowing that she's all like.. interested in his safety right now. He's rewarded with a giant beautiful smile, and a kiss goodbye.

Finn looks back at her standing in the doorway at least three times before he finally turns off her street.

He just can't help it.

* * *

><p>He wakes up choking<p>

Finn sits straight up in his bed, cups his hands to his mouth, and tries desperately to focus on anything. The only thing he manages to see is his clock on the nightstand, the numbers reading 3:16.

He smells smoke.

And he can't breathe. What's going on? He can't .. even.. think.

Suddenly he hears the screaming voice of his mother. "FINN!" she yells, "Finn get up we have to get out of here now!" She sounds terrified.

Smoke. Alarm.

The house is on fire.

Finn flies out of his bed, stumbles over his sheets, and opens his bedroom door only to be greeted with another cloud of smoke. He steps backward, covering his mouth and nose, until he feels the strong grip of Burt's hand on his upper arm, and he's dragged toward the stairs.

When they reach the bottom of the stairs, Finn panics, "Wait! What about my mom and Kurt! Where are they?" he shouts to Burt. Where are they? There's absolutely no way Finn will leave this house without them. Is Burt insane? Is he totally -

"They're outside already Finn, lets go." Burt yells back to him, and they meet a fire fighter close by who takes his mask off and places it on Finn's face, giving him some oxygen.

The man leads them outside, and Finn drops the mask and runs into the arms of his crying mother. He holds her tightly as she weeps into his shoulder. Kurt hugs Burt as he approaches, and the four of them huddle together catching their breath. Finn takes a blanket from a cop and wraps it around his mom and brother.

He pulls away from the group after a minute, and his heart sinks as he takes in the scene around him. He sees at least four cop cars parked on the street. They're using walkie talkie things, and rushing around making demands to eachother. Two firetrucks are pulled up practically on the front lawn, and a hose stretches up to the house spraying water.

People, random people, are walking all over his lawn, and someone walks over to Burt and starts to speak with him.

His neighbors are all outside in their pajamas, and he can see Tina, who lives across the street, standing in her driveway looking at him with tears in her eyes.

He turns to look at the house. The house that he and his mom were welcomed into - the house he grew to love. The place he's been sleeping in for a year. This is where he was supposed to spend all the upcoming holidays.

And now it is up in flames right in front of his eyes. Finn looks toward his bedroom window, and tries to swallow the lump in his throat when all he can see is and orange blaze coming from the gaping hole.

And suddenly he's out of breath again.

Tears threaten to fall from his eyes, but he can't turn away. All he can do in that moment is watch as this nasty fire burns all the memories from the past year. He can't even hear the commotion around him anymore. He thinks of the movies his family watched, the presents they opened on Christmas, the party him and Kurt tried to throw when Burt and Carole went out of town, the times Rachel came over, the picture of him and his dad sitting on the mantle of the fireplace -

No.

He nearly drops to the ground. That is the only picture Finn has left of him and his father, and it's still in the house. He looks at it every day before he leaves for school. It is going to burn in the fire, and he will no longer have any piece of his father to hold on to.

Finn lets the tears spill over, and before he can convince himself not to, he's sprinting toward the flames at full speed, pushing a cop out of the way.

He can get to the picture. When he left the house, the downstairs wasn't even on fire yet, and the picture is only about five feet away from the front door. He can do it. No, he _has _to do it. He has to.

He ignores the screaming protests of his mother, and steps through the doorway of the house, entering the scalding room that he can't even consider a room anymore.

The air is so thick, he can barely open his eyes, and the coughing fits start almost immediately. But he knows this house like the back of his hand now, and he uses his hands to make his way over to the fireplace.

Finn feels around with one hand, and uses the other to pull his shirt up over nose, desperate for some clean air. He knocks over three or four pictures before he finally finds the one he's looking for.

Once the picture is in his grip, he begins stumbling back toward the door. He trips, reopening the cut that Rachel bandaged for him just a few hours ago. He manages to get up, and makes his way back to front door frame successfully.

The moment he's about to step out of the burning house, he feels something fall onto the back of his head, and the rest of the world slips away as he falls to the ground, dropping the picture of him and his dad onto the "Welcome" mat.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi everyone! Thank you for all the reviews. So this is chapter two. :) I've got about three or four more chapters to go.  
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**Thank you again to Margaret for pre-reading this, and the FR thread for being so supportive. I love you all! **

**Disclaimer - again, I don't own Glee. **

Chapter 2:

The ringtone wakes her from a dead sleep, and she sits up with a zombie-like look on her face.

"Kurt it's Saturday," Rachel moans into the cellphone, "6:15 on a Saturday. I don't get on the elliptical until approximately _eight _AM on Saturdays." She is not going to tolerate someone interrupting a healthy eight hours of sleep.

"Rachel please come-"

She interrupts him, "Kurt you know I'd be more than happy to offer intelligent advice on your problems with Blaine, but can it be in two hours instead-"

"Rachel our house caught fire and you need to come to the hospital. Please." Kurt raises his voice, but his tone still hints at desperation. Rachel hears the other end of the phone line go dead.

One second is all it takes for about thirty different things to fly through her mind. Why were they in the hospital? Did anyone get hurt? Did this affect Burt's heart in some way? Wait.. their house burned down? To the ground? Kurt sounded like he was panicking. Is he okay? Carole?

Was Finn hurt?

She shakes the thoughts from her head, knowing she shouldn't jump to conclusions before she the full extent of the situation. Plus, she can't manage all these questions, which scares her because she's usually in complete control of her thoughts.

She takes a deep breath, reaches for the hoodie that Finn left at her house the night before, and shrugs it over her shoulders.

Her dads aren't awake yet, so she scribbles a note on a piece of paper informing them of her whereabouts, and rushes out the side door of the house.

* * *

><p>She arrives in record time, completely ignoring the fact that she drove nearly ten miles over the speed limit the whole way there. Rachel <em>never<em> condoned driving over the speed limit, but this indeed was a worthy exception.

"Excuse me," she stops the first nurse she sees when she gets into the hospital, "I'm looking for the Hummel's. Their house caught fire and..." she realizes that she doesn't really have any more information to give. "Do you know where they might be?" she asks.

She wont blow her composure. Finn, Kurt, Carole, and Burt are going to be upset enough, so she vows to herself that she'll be strong for them through this tragedy. If there's one thing she can do, it's act. And she knows she'll be able to at least act strong for the people she cares about.

Once the nurse points her in the right direction, her brisk walk turns into a light jog. When she reaches the end of the hallway, she pushes open the double doors, and looks around without trying to seem frantic.

Kurt spots her and jumps up out of his chair, running toward her with an expression that she can't quite read. His hair is a mess, and his face has traces of black on it. She guesses it's from the ashes. If it were any other time and he looked in a mirror, he'd scream bloody murder. Rachel hugs him tightly, and looks over his shoulder at the rest of the room.

_Where is he? _

She spots Carole who doesn't move from her position on a waiting room chair; one hand up to her mouth, and the other clutching Burt's hand tightly. Rachel can see her fingernails digging into Burt's skin.

No. Rachel stares, trying to wrap her mind around everything. What was that supposed to mean? Where was Finn? Maybe he's just in the bathroom. Finn goes to the bathroom a lot. He's definitely going to walk out any second, and she'll hug him and tell him she's there for him and that everything will be okay. That's going to happen, right? _Right?_

She pushes Kurt back and looks into his eyes with a questioning expression. Kurt's her best friend. She doesn't even need to ask him the question.

"He," Kurt pauses, "he got hurt in the fire," he finally manages to choke out.

Rachel closes her eyes and feels the blood drain from her face. "So he got a burn? A bad burn? Because my dad got a considerably bad burn once while making..." she trails off and holds her breath when she sees Kurt put his head down, and she glances back at Carole.

It isn't just a burn. Or a cut that can be healed by Neosporin and a steadfast bandage changing routine.

She hears Kurt saying something about a fallen piece of wood and Finn being unconscious, but she tunes him out soon after and walks over to Carole, taking the seat next to her.

They don't exchange a single word. Rachel brings the sleeve of Finn's sweatshirt up to her nose, breathing in the smell. Carole reaches down and grabs Rachel's small hand, and gives it the slightest hint of a squeeze. Rachel closes her eyes, and begs for composure once again. She's the one that needs to stay strong.

That's what Finn would want, right?

* * *

><p>Two hours go by, and she simply cannot sit any longer. Rachel was never one for sitting still. The doctor had come out earlier to update them, and they all breathed sigh of relief when they found out Finn only suffered a concussion, and a second degree burn on his arm. He would wake up for sure, but it was just a matter of <em>when<em> he would wake up. It could take any where from hours to days. Burt asked if they could go in the room and see him, and the doctor informed them that it would just take about another hour for him to be transported into a private room, and then he would be allowed visitors.

It takes all of Rachel's will power not to scream at the doctor. An hour? That was absolutely preposterous. What kind of hospital was this? There were so many things she could yell right now, but she has to be the one to keep calm.

Sitting and waiting wont cut it for her though, so she decides to take charge and make phone calls. She calls her dads, and tells them the family will need somewhere to stay, at least for tonight. They agree, because in the past few months Hiram and Leroy have become pretty fond of Burt. She calls Puck asking if he has any spare large t-shirts that will fit Finn. She calls Mike, who seems more Kurt-sized, and asks the same question; though she knows Kurt will cringe at the idea of wearing unfashionable boy clothing. She gives Mr. Schue a call so he is informed. She calls Tina who tells her that everyone on their street is cooking for the family. She calls everyone. She calls Mercedes who has to convince _her_ that everything will be okay.

She goes downstairs to the hospital cafeteria with Kurt to eat a corn muffin, and brings up food for Carole, though she refuses.

And then there's nothing left for her to do.

After about ten more minutes, the doctor comes in and says they can see Finn, and the four of them jump up and follow the doctor towards the elevator, and up to room 400B.

* * *

><p>The sight of him laying in a hospital bed causes Rachel to freeze in the doorway, but Carole and Kurt rush to Finn's side. Carole kisses his cheek and runs her hand over his shoulder, tears spilling over her eyelids. Burt sympathetically pats his hand on Rachel's shoulder, then passes her to enter the room and takes his place next to Carole.<p>

Rachel focuses on Finn for a moment. He's dressed in a hospital gown, and there are blankets are placed over his legs and stomach. His eyes are shut and his head is almost completely wrapped up with a white bandage. He's got a pretty large cut on the left side of his cheek, and his right arm is wrapped up as well. She assumes that is where he got burned.

The sight is too much for Rachel to take in, so she mumbles that she'll be right back, and hurries out of the room back toward the cafeteria. She spent the past few hours keeping her confident Rachel Berry level-headedness - trying to distract herself from the fact that Finn was hurt. Sure, she knew that the doctor said he would wake up, but it didn't pain her any less to see him lying unconscious. He was so hurt, and there was nothing that she could do about it. No amount of phone calls or spare shirts, or bandaids, or Neosporin, or insane cleanliness would help right now.

If there's one thing she despises, even more than Jacob, it's feeling helpless.

And Finn, lying there.. She needs him to wake up. She needs to see his eyes, his smile.

_So much for staying strong, _she thinks to herself as she wipes her tears with his sweatshirt. She feels so out of character right now.

Time escapes her as she stares into space, but after a while Burt comes down and tells Rachel that he's going to run a few errands, and that Carole and Kurt are going back to the Berry residence to clean up and rest.

"You should go home, too, get some rest" he suggests, "the doctor said that he'd call us as soon as Finn wakes up."

She can't leave. She knows that Kurt needs her too, and that her dads will worry, but she definitely can't leave.

"I think I am going to stay a while longer," she replies softly. "But my dads are expecting you guys, so I'm positive that they have prepared a meal for you three, and they'll show you to the guest rooms. Tell Carole and Kurt I will meet them there." Burt thanks Rachel for her help, gives her a hug, and walks away.

Rachel sits in her seat for another minute before she gets up. She looks around, taking in the sight of people who are in the same position as her: scared, afraid, and anxiously awaiting news or a positive change. Finn's going to wake up, he is. The doctor said it. She is thankful that she at least has that much good news - that he's going to be okay soon enough.

She takes in another deep breath, and walks back up to room 400B where Finn is. She hesitates in the doorway momentarily, her breath catching in her throat, but this time she shakes it off and walks right up to his bedside.

Looking down at him, her hand grazes across his cheek, down his neck, and stops on his chest. She watches, relieved, as her hand moves up and down with his breathing. She grabs his hand, the one that isn't burned, brings it up to her mouth, and kisses it gently. She touches her cheek with it, and closes her eyes to try to fight back tears. His hand is so warm, so familiar, like always. Her eyes are burning and she succumbs to her emotions and lets her tears fall.

"Finn, I'm here," Rachel chokes out, "I'm here and.. and you're going to be just fine. Just wake up soon because.. we have so much to do. We have to fill out all our applications, and we _must_ beat everyone else in the duets competition this year.. and we're going to win Nationals. And .. just wake up soon okay? I demand it." she laughs a little, and sobs at the same time.

Not sure if she can manage to say anything else, she starts to hum the tune of an incredibly random song: "Lullaby of Broadway" from 42nd Street. She forced Finn to watch that movie just last week.

She places a kiss on his cheek, and swears she can feel him breathe in a little deeper at the contact. Pulling up a chair, she takes his and again, and rests her head on the bed so the top of her head is touching his chest.

She breathes with him.

_He's going to wake up soon, _she thinks, shuts her eyes, and continues to hum.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hiiii! I'm sorry this took so long, and I'm sorry this chapter isn't the best. It's hard to write hospital stuff like this. But I PROMISE next chapter will be up much sooner, and it'll be a lot better than this one. We'll call this on the filler. Try to enjoy haha.**

The throbbing pain in his head starts before he even gets the chance to open his eyes.

What the hell happened?

He cracks one eye open, and his hand immediately shoots up to shield it. That light is _blinding. _ He notices the soft material on his arm, and slowly tries to open his other eye. His arm is covered in gauze, and he can feel a tight bandage around the top of his head. Man, his head is killing him, and damnit! Can't someone turn that light off? He might as well be staring directly into the sun.

Finn tries to take in a deep breath, but quickly regrets it. A shooting pain is sent up his right arm, and his throats burns worse than that time he got strep throat in eighth grade.

Seriously, his head is _killing_ him.

Plus he smells like...

It only takes another moment for him to remember. The fire. His house went up in flames, and he ran back in. Obviously he hadn't made it out in the best condition.

Ignoring his grogginess, he attempts to lift himself off the bed because he really, _really _has to pee, but the room is spinning around him. Like he literally can't focus, and for a moment he thinks he might throw up. Or pass out. So he just lets himself collapse back onto the bed.

That's when he notices that his other hand is rested right on someone's head. It's Rachel's head. Her hair is spread all over the place, and she is slumped half on the bed, half on the chair with his McKinley football sweatshirt dwarfing her body. A pang of guilt runs through him. That position she's in can't be comfortable, and he wonders how long she's been there.

How long had _he _been there?

He runs his fingers through her hair, smiling for a moment, then reaches for the glass of water that someone placed next to his bed. The liquid feels good on his throat, and he tries to sit up again as the walls stop rotating around him. Rubbing his eyes, he starts to push the blankets off himself. He really doesn't want to be the freak that wets the hospital bed.

Just as he frees himself from the sheets, Rachel starts to stir. She shifts a little, and then jumps up quickly, her eyes landing on him in shock for one second before she squeaks out a sound that he thinks was meant to be his name.

Tears well up in her eyes, and before he can say anything to console her, she launches herself onto the bed, peppering kisses across his face.

"Oh Finn, I was so scared. Kurt called me and-" she starts, but stops when she notices a pained expression cross his face as he turns to look at her. "I should inform the doctor that you're awake!" she finishes, turning away from him and running out of the room. He hears her practically scream the word "nurse" as she disappears down the hallway.

He tries to shift around in his bed. It's no use. He's soo uncomfortable.

Rachel returns less than two minutes, practically dragging the doctor and an additional nurse into the room with her.

The doctor asks him how he feels, then proceeds to check his breathing,

With Rachel's help, he is able to walk down the hall to the bathroom, and he finally gets to relieve himself. The medicine starts to kick in shortly after, and he lies back down in the hospital bed, holding Rachel's hand in his.

She smiles up at him and asks if he's okay.

"I'm feeling better," he tells her honestly.

"Do you have enough pillows? Hospitals never give enough pillows. Do you need me to go get you more? Though that nurse really seems to dislike me.. Do you want something to eat? I could go down to the cafeteria. God knows how long it'll be until the nurse comes here with your dinner. Are you-" she trails off when she sees the corners of his mouth rise. "And what are you laughing at, Finn?"

"Babe you should go get some rest," he says softly, reaching his hand up to graze the dark circle under one of her eyes. He doesn't want her to leave. At all. But he feels bad; she's been here for hours.

"I'm fine."

He sighs, "You don't look so good. I mean, you look beautiful, but you look kinda really tired."

"Finn, your life was at risk today. I'm not leaving," she shakes her head definitively. Why is he telling her to get rest while _he's_ in a hospital bed?

"I'm ok-"

"I'm not leaving your side," her voice is softer this time, and she looks down at their intwined hands.

Finn smiles at her and falls back down onto his pillows. "Okay good. I don't want you to leave anyways."

Rachel nods and smiles back. "Oh! I have to call your mom and Kurt! They're going to kill me when they find out you woke up and I didn't call them." Finn watches as she runs around looking for her phone, and he chuckles as she skips out of the room when she finds it.

She's crazy. He's glad she's here.

* * *

><p>His mom and Kurt get there a little while later. Carole cries, and it looks like Kurt gets a little emotional during their awkward brother hug as well.<p>

Finn gulps when the Mr. Berrys walk in because, man Rachel's daddy is TALL. Even taller than him. "Glad to see you're okay, Finn," Leroy tells him and walks over to put an arm around Rachel.

Conversation is light for a while. They talk about how Finn will make a full recovery. They discuss the burn on his arm, and Rachel goes through a list of ways she intends to take care of it. Carole compliments Rachel's cooking and how the food was "nothing short of spectacular" even though it was vegan AND reheated.

Finn gets hungry, so the nurse brings a meal to his room and he scarfs it down quickly.

Puck comes by with some clothes, and Finn tries not to wince when he playfully punches him on the shoulder. He meant well.

Mercedes drops by a little later, probably for Kurt.

It's not until Burt comes back that reality starts to set in a little deeper.

"Apparently the fire was an electrical fire," he starts after placing a hand on Finn's shoulder and wrapping his arm around Carole. "They haven't located what exactly caused it though." Burt tells everyone in the room about his chat with the cops and all the kind words from their neighbors. When the subject of insurance and a place to stay comes up Finn tunes out.

It's too hard for him to listen to stuff like that. His medicine is wearing off and his head is starting to spin again. Rachel presses a wet rag onto his forehead, which is _awesome_. It's like she read his mind. And she hasn't let go of his hand.

Finn notices Carole tearing up at whatever Burt is saying.

"Mom?"

"Everything is gonna turn out alright," Burt tries to comfort her.

"Until then everyone is more than happy to help," Mr. Schue says taking Carole's hand. What? When did Mr. Schue get there? He really needs more medicine.

"I'm just glad you're all okay," he hears Mercedes chime in. Well that makes him feel a little better until -

"Yeah, me too," Kurt agrees, smiling at her, "Especially after Finn had that mental break down and ran back inside the burning house." He lets out a sarcastic laugh, but everyone in the room shifts awkwardly.

Finn shuts his eyes, and Rachel's hand slips from his. He was hoping that this wouldn't come up. Ever.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean that." Kurt says apologetically.

"It's okay man." Finn tells him. He desperately wants the subject changed.

"Finn, sweetie," Carole starts but he interrupts her before she can say anything. This really isn't the time.

He chances a glance at Rachel and sees that she's sitting completely still, and is avoiding eye contact. Great. Kurt really brought up running back into the fire at the right time, didn't he?

Thankfully one of the nurses comes in and reminds them that Visitor Hours are over in fifteen minutes, and everyone starts to say their goodbyes.

Mr. Schue pats him on the back, Kurt and Mercedes hug him and walk out together, and Carole kisses him on the cheek and promises to be back first thing in the morning to pick him up.

Hiram and Leroy tell Finn to feel better, and Hiram tells Rachel not to be home late.

"I'll be home shortly after you, Daddy." She tells him and kisses him on the cheek.

A few seconds later he and Rachel are alone in the hospital room, and her eyes are shooting daggers at him.

"Rach." He really needs her to understand.

"Finn.. What did Kurt mean when he said you ran back into the fire?" Rachel crosses her arms and looks down at the floor.

"He.. uh.. I ran back into the house." Rachel turns away from him and her hands cover her face. "Rachel.. please," he begs.

"Please what, Finn? What were you thinking, putting yourself in danger like that? Please enlighten me." She's pissed.

His mind goes blank. How can he admit something like this? That he went back into his burning house to get a picture. She'd probably slap him silly if he said that. "I.. uh.. Rach." He mutters, head spinning again.

"Finn, I was _terrified_ when Kurt called me this morning. I've never been so scared. I couldn't even handle it when you cut your knee. Why .. What possessed you to run back into your house, you idiot?" She really didn't _mean_ to get that angry.

"I had to.. I'm sorry," he hates that he upset her like this. There's nothing more he hates than seeing her hurt.

"What do you mean you_ had to_? It was the most irresponsible, inconsiderate decision.. Did you even think about your mom? What if.." She shakes her head. "I have to go home," she says, turning toward the door. Finn's heart sinks a little bit.

"Rachel, no please, you have to-will I see you tomorrow?" God, she's frustrating when she's angry.

Her face crumbles and he wants to get up and hug her, but she turns and walks toward the door. She pauses for a second, and turns around, looking at him sadly.

But then she leaves.

This day sucks like.. A LOT. Worst day ever.

Finn slams his fingers down on the button on the wall next to his bed. Where is the damn doctor with his medicine?


End file.
